29% believe more support for working parents would help to close the gender pay gap

More than a quarter (29%) of employee respondents believe that, alongside the upcoming gender pay gap reporting requirements, more support for working parents would help to close the gender pay gap, according to research by CV Library.

Its survey of 1,000 UK employees also found that 57% of respondents feel that more can be done to tackle the gender pay gap alongside the incoming gender pay gap reporting requirements.

The research also found:

46% of respondents believe that, alongside the gender pay gap reporting requirements, standardising salaries in each industry and job role would help to reduce the gender pay gap, and 13% believe increasing confidence among women to ask for pay rises would help.

13% of respondents believe that working to end the stigma around maternity leave would help to close the gender pay gap.

23% of female respondents believe they have been impacted in some way by the gender pay gap, compared to 8% of male respondents.

Of those respondents who feel they have been affected by the gender pay gap, 88% of female respondents feel they have been paid less because of their gender, compared to 60% of male respondents. More than a quarter (27%) of male respondents feel they have been paid more because of their gender, compared to 3% of female respondents.

67% of respondents think their employer can effectively measure any gender pay gaps in their organisation.

32% of female respondents feel the gender pay gap is out of their hands, compared to 42% of male respondents.

Lee Biggins (pictured), founder and managing director at CV Library, said: “The gender pay gap has been a topic of discussion for many years now, but it’s concerning that it’s come to a point where female [employees] now see no way out.

“While there’s been some development to better support working parents, such as the introduction of shared parental leave, organisations must work hard to facilitate their employees and create an honest and open culture where women feel comfortable taking a stance against inequality.

“The new legislation coming into play in April should go some way to highlighting gaps in UK organisations, but it’s clear that the issue won’t end here. Without effectively tackling the issues around flexible working, caring responsibilities, helping women aged over 40 back into the workforce, and general workplace discrimination, the UK can’t expect to see the gender pay gap to truly close for some time.”